3 minds, 3 mouths, 1 mission – food.

Public Dining Room – Mosman, Sydney

The Top Line: Set in a perfect cosy beach cove with yachts and a jetty – location, tick. The food comes looking spectacular in presentation with the right flavours – food, tick. The bill comes.. and with a dimmi discount you’ll be cheering, but without it, the wallet might hurt a bit – price, expensive. With that in mind, the service, food and location is what you pay for and if you decide it’s worth it, the splurge will turn out to be a great experience.

The Review: Being the first customers of the night, we were treated with much attention and given a great table directly facing the water.. i.e. this view:

I felt as if I was stepping in to a classy and sophisticated, modern dining experience (although the choice of plastic chairs was questionable, I guess it gave the effect of being on the beach). It was great, the lighting was romantic and the whole room felt light and airy.

It was a delicate dish with the freshness of the fish shining through all its complimentary flavours. I loved the ginger puree and addition of citrus. It just made me feel light and healthy and it was a joy to have each bite.

The first main we tried was the ‘Melting’ huon valley tasmanian salmon (sous vide) with scampi tortellini, jerusalem artichoke, broad beans, salmon roe and a verjus butter sauce.

Salmon sous vide $38

There was a crispy skin surprise as well, which was wafer thin and had an incredible crunch. The scampi tortellini was a bit average. I especially enjoyed the melting salmon which could not have been cooked better, and the busting salmon roe! The sauce was creamy and lifted with a sour artichoke.

The second main that we tried was the Chicken with brussel sprouts, kale, corn and crispy pancetta.

Chicken $38

I was scared this chicken was going to be dry but it wasn’t. Although it wasn’t juicy, it was nice and tender with a lovely smoke jus and burnt corn. The flavour comparison to the salmon was stark, as this was much heavier on the salt, and the other was much heavier with the cream but somewhat felt lighter as a meal.

The food here isn’t bad, but what you come for is the experience as a whole, and what made the night unforgettable was the great ambience of the dining room and that fact that you are hidden away in this little bay that is untouched by civilisation.

(p.s. if you plan to go via public transport, please note that the last bus is 7.16pm on a weekday, as we found out the hard way so make sure you plan accordingly).